The University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

This advice is mainly for out-of-staters. Last year, I wish a freshman guy at UM, and left in January. I've spent a lot of time thinking about my experience there, and I wish it could have been great. I had one friend from HS go to UM with me, and she made great friends right away, and loves the school. Academically, the school's fine. If you do a reasonable amount of work you will get good grades. There's a ton to do on campus, lots of parties and restaurants and stores and events make UM a fun place. It was the 'social experience', however, that makes UM tough for so many out-of-staters. My experience was different, and I feel that a lot of other out-of-staters had tough experiences at Michigan. Since I've left UM, I've heard a good deal of stories of out-of-staters who left UM because they wern't happy there (of course, for all those out-of-staters that leave, several more stay and like it).

There are a couple reasons that so many out-of-staters have a hard time at UM. First off, so many in-staters at UM spend most of their time hanging out with their high school friends, and a lot of out-of-state kids feel left out. Also, since the campus is so large, even if you make a friend in a class, there's a very good chance you'll rarely see them around campus (one of my good friends from class lived a 20 min bus ride away ... I didn't see him too often). Greek Life is a good way to meet people, but it also isn't for everybody. There's a reasonable amount of kids that just feel lost at UM. Had I made good friends in my dorm from the start (which didn't happen), I really feel like I would have had a good experience. But for the many students who have a tough time fitting in from the start, things never change.

I do think the size (UM's campus is twice as big as comparable state schools like U-IL) plays a big factor in making students feel accepted. The students aren't the friendliest or most outgoing (they mainly keep to themselves and their 'set' friends), which is probably how it is at a lot of huge schools. All this being said, I still would encourage people to consider UM. A lot of out-of-staters are there and love it. If you're lucky to fit in there, it can be a great time with the exciting sports and crazy social life. I just want you to realize that the environment of UM can present a lot of challenges.

1st Year Female -- Class 2010

Education Quality: B+, Education Quality: B+

If you’re thinking about applying to UM, you obviously know you’re getting a great school. Before you decide to attend, and I know this is hard, but be sure that the social atmosphere is what you want. The main reason I went to Michigan was because it was a prestigious school. I wanted a smart school where I knew I would have fun. And Michigan is a prestigious school. More so than any other public (except for U-VA and UC-Berkeley), it is respected nationally, as this is realized by the numerous out-of-state students.

The typical Michigan student is smart and cocky. Almost everyone here was successful in academics and activities in high school. Most UM students really do think that they are “hot stuff”, not as much when compared to their fellow students, but just to the world at large. 55% of Michigan students come from households whose income is over $100,000, so be prepared to run into wealth when dealing with most people. Most students are nice but there is a cockiness that comes with attending UM. Students do work hard in their classes, but almost all are more concerned with their social lives. One of the biggest facets that sets UMich apart from other public universities is its abundance of out of state students. Nearly 30% of undergraduates are from out of state, which does make UM more interesting than many other public schools.

Greek life is alive and well at Michigan, but it certainly does not “dominate” the campus social life as one might be led to believe. Only 13% of students participate in Greek life, so there are many friends to be made if you don’t rush. Greek life is a major commitment, so you should be aware of that if you decide to take part in it. However, it does give you a close group of friends, and it does allow you to “feel a part of something” while being at a large university. Michigan’s campus, quite simply, is massive. It is bigger than most universities with similar enrollments (Illinois, Indiana, etc.) and all the buildings are very spread out. This proved to be very frustrating to me because I would rarely see the people I knew outside of my dorm. If you don’t know many people upon entering UM, this can be a difficult part of the UM experience. The dorms at Michigan are very far away from each other, unlike other schools where nearly all the freshmen are housed extremely close to each other. To get from my dorm to the dorm of a friend on North Campus, it would take about 20 minutes by bus. Many freshmen are forced into the dorms at North Campus (the Arts, Music, and Engineering campus a mile north of the central campus). Ann Arbor is a nice city with a lot to do, and you’re less than an hour from Detroit, and Windsor, Ontario, which borders Detroit.

My freshman year didn’t go well, and I decided to leave UM. I didn’t really like the people on my floor and it was hard as an non-Greek out-of-stater to meet new people. There were things I could have done to make it better, but I knew UM wasn’t the place for me. This might be hard to understand, but being at such a big school can make you feel isolated. I thought I was certain I wanted a big school, but it turned out I was wrong. For me, the problem wasn’t academics, I just didn’t click with the people I met. That being said, many people do love UM, so if you’re thinking about attending, I would say it’s a probably a good idea.

1st Year Male -- Class 2007

Scholastic Success: A, Individual Value: C